Exploring Crime and Social Media
A recent survey by Pew found that three-quarters of adult inter-net users participate in social media, and rates approach 90 percent for people under thirty. Given these usage demographics, it should come as no surprise that youth gangs have taken to Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and other similar platforms. The technology magazine Wired examined the phenomenon in Chicago and documented several prominent incidents of gang violence linked to social media.
A compelling example involved a Twitter exchange between members of the Gangster Disciples and members of the opposing Black Disciples. This Online feud appears to have prompted real-world violence. One of the instigators of the original Twitter exchange was gunned-down, apparently by members of the rival gang, who posted a series of taunting Tweets following the murder. Such examples led the Wired article to conclude that social media “is fueling gang wars in Chicago.”
We have begun work to explore this assertion empirically using the tools of network science. Student researchers have begun to collect Twitter data on gang-related terms using the Tweet-Tracker software Read More
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